THE NEIGHBOURHOOD MESSENGER

NEWSLETTER OF THE ADOLPHUSTOWN-FREDERICKSBURGH HERITAGE SOCIETY Issue Number 7 October 2013

Maritime Ties

Surrounded, as we are, by the waters of the Bay of Quinte, residents of Adolphustown and Fredericksburgh find maritime endeavours occupying an integral part of our history. Of course, in the years immediately after the arrival of the United Empire Loyalists to Our Society our shores, roads were virtually non-existent and travel was done Members of the Adolphustown- almost exclusively by boat or over ice. Soon, the reliance on Fredericksburgh Heritage Society are your neighbours, your friends, your water transport expanded to include ferries to connect family. We are new to the area or communities separated by water. Wharves were built all along have lived here all our lives. Some of our shores to accommodate the movement of goods and us are descendants of the Loyalists passengers to local destinations and to further afield. Steamship who settled the shores of the Bay of lines established tour itineraries that took advantage of these Quinte. We all share a desire to wharves and fed a vibrant tourism industry, while further serving to deepen our knowledge of the history link our townships with the commercial hubs in the broader region. of our local community and to share In this issue of the Neighbourhood Messenger we take a look at our passion with others. the many ways in which water and water transport have played Our Executive a role in the commerce and lifestyle of the area. President: Angela Cronk Vice President: John Gordon Secretary: Kathy Staples Treasurer: Stan MacMillan A Glimpse of the Past Sales Director: Peter Cameron Webmaster: Susan Wright Communications Jane Lovell Director:

Our Meetings The Society meets every fourth Wednesday in the month at the South Fredericksburgh Community Centre at 6.30 p.m. All welcome!!

Our Website http://www.sfredheritage.on.ca/

Contact Us If you have questions or suggestions regarding any aspect of the Society, including The Neighbourhood Messenger, please contact one of the following- Photo courtesy of Susan Wright • Angela Cronk, President (373- The Steamer Quinte Queen at the makeshift dock at the Old Hay Bay 8888) [email protected] Church, 1912 • Jane Lovell, Newsletter Editor (373-0199 ) [email protected] Do you have an interesting photo of people, places or events that show things as they were in the past? Let us feature it here!

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The Neighbourhood Messenger is an electronic newsletter distributed exclusively to members of the Adolphustown-Fredericksburgh Heritage Society. As the receipt of our newsletter is one of the major benefits of Society membership, we ask that you NOT forward the newsletter to friends or relatives. Instead, we suggest that you encourage anyone you think might be interested in receiving a copy of The Neighbourhood Messenger to join our Society. A lifetime membership costs $5, and in addition to ensured e-mail delivery of the newsletter, Society membership entitles those interested in our local heritage to be kept informed of, and participate in, all aspects of Society activities. Anyone can become a member by sending a cheque for $5 made payable to the Adolphustown- Fredericksburgh Heritage Society, c/o Kathy Staples, 304 Staples Lane, Napanee K7R 3K7. If you are not currently an AFHS member please consider becoming one!

Events Calendar

AFHS Community Dinner at South Fredericksburgh Hall October 30 Roast Beef Diner 6:30 p.m. Followed by “Ferry Tails from ” presented by Captain Brian Johnson Marine Museum of the at Kingston Until “Hundred Year Storm”: A special exhibit marking November 30 the anniversary of the “White Hurricane” of November 1913, the worst marine disaster in Great Lakes history.

Napanee Guide July 4, 1919 Feature Event:

All of us are familiar with the ferry at Glenora. It is the kingpin of the Loyalist Parkway, linking Adolphustown, Bath, and other villages on the eastern portion of the Loyalist Parkway to their neighbours in Picton, Bloomfield, Wellington and other communities to the west along the parkway. For some of us the Glenora Ferry is part of a daily or weekly commute to work, to shop or to keep in touch with family; for others it remains a novelty. Of the many ferry crossings established in the Bay of Quinte throughout the 19th century and into the 20th, only the one at Glenora remains in operation today. Early references to the ferry at Glenora are scarce but it is likely that a ferry operated between the village of Adolphustown and Glenora well before the mills were built at Glenora in the mid-1790s. The Province of Upper established regulations governing the operation of ferries in 1797, and within five years a license had been applied for under the Act to operate the ferry at Glenora. 1802 also saw the application for a license to operate a ferry between Kingston and Wolfe Island. Unlike the ferries of the Bay of Qunite that provided “short cuts” to neighboring communities, the Wolfe Island Ferry represented the only means by which the residents of Wolfe Island could travel or transport goods to or from the island. This lifeline has continued to this day, and over the years has used a variety of craft, including sailboats, oar- powered bateaux, ice-punts, barges and paddlewheel steamers to provide this essential link between the island and the mainland. Page 2 AFHS The Neighbourhood Messenger October 2013

Brian Johnson, captain of the Wolfe Island ferry, fifth generation Wolfe Islander, author and founder and former president of the Wolfe Island Historical Society, will join us at our annual Heritage Harvest Dinner to present “Ferry Tales from Wolfe Island”. Captain Johnson’s presentation will shine a light on the history of ferry travel to and from Wolfe Island and nearby Garden Island through an extensive collection of vintage photographs. The accompanying stories document the many hardships endured by early residents of the island and by the ferry operators, including ice-bound ferries, the fury of maritime weather, loss of vessels and the loss of life.

Photo courtesy of Brian Johnson Captain Buck Mullin, wife Audrey and son (Captain) Darrel somewhere off Garden Island out on the ice in1958

Please join us on October 30th for dinner with neighbours and fellow Society members. The evening’s agenda not only provides an opportunity to lend support to the AFHS, but also allows you to catch up with neighbours and friends over a locally provided meal. And what better way to round out the evening than by being shown a glimpse of a way of life so heavily dependant on ferry transport as that was lived daily by our island neighbours to the east.

I, indeed, following the true law of history, have never set down any fact that I have not learned from trustworthy speakers or writers. William of Malmesbury

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Then and Now Kathy Staples

Photo courtesy of UEL Heritage Centre, Adolphustown Allison House as viewed from the Adolphustown Wharf, likely taken during the 1912 visit of the Historical Society

The Allison House was built by David Wright Allison, a prominent local farmer, businessman, and grandson of Joseph Allison, one of the first Loyalist settlers in Adolphustown Township. The house is now the home of the UEL Heritage Centre. The museum housed within Allison House was opened on June 16, 1962.

2013 The Allison House today The wharf in the 1912 photograph is still in evidence today, appearing as a point of land impenetrable with trees and vines. The shot on the left, above, was taken from a similar perspective as the one taken 101 years earlier.

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A Fishy Tale Jane Lovell

Capt. Kellogg states: - yesterday This alarming report seems to indicate that those on evening (June 15th) about seven board Captain Kellogg’s vessel truly believed that they o'clock, as he was making for Kingston had witnessed the approach of an enormous serpent – a harbor, the "Ducks" bearing N. by W. true sea monster. Apparently the sighting was not as distant 2 miles, he saw something lying unusual an experience as one might expect. A second still on the weather bow, that looked British Whig mention of a serpent, this time dated the 23 rd like the mast of a vessel. Observing it of July 1881, simply reports “-sea serpent seen by Capt. Brown, of tug Robb , between Timber Island and South more attentively, he was surprized and Bay.” alarmed to see it in motion, and steering towards the schooner. Singing Delving into the possibility of the existence of sea serpents out to his hands to take care of seems to be a long-standing fascination. An example of an earnest investigation into the matter is a charming themselves, he put the schooner up to volume by Dutch zoologist A. C. Oudeman printed in the wind, lashed the helm a lee, and 1892 entitled: ran up the main rigging, waiting for the monster to approach. The serpent, for The Great Sea-Serpent. it was no other than an immense snake, An Historical And Critical Treatise. neared the vessel fast, and passed With The Reports Of 187 Appearances (Including Those immediately under the stern, taking no Of The Appendix), notice whatever of the schooner or The Suppositions And Suggestions Of Scientific And Non- those on board, but affording to every Scientific Persons, body an ample opportunity to observe And The Author’s Conclusions and note his monstrous dimensions. In length he was about 175 feet, of a dark The work is dedicated to “Owners of Ships and Yachts, blue color, spotted with brown; Sea Captains and Zoologists” who are encouraged to towards either end he tapered off, but photograph or kill the creature if sighted. about the middle, his body was of the Voyagers and sportsmen conversant with photography are circumference of a flour barrel; his requested to take the instantaneous photograph of the animal: this head was peculiarly small, and could alone will convince zoologists, while all their reports and pencil- not well be distinguished but from the drawings will be received with a shrug of the shoulders. direction in which he moved. He swam As these animals are very shy, it is not advisable to approach with an undulating movement, keeping them with a steamboat. best part of his body under water, but The only manner to kill one instantly will be by means of explosive balls, or by harpoons loaden with nitro-glycerine; but as it occasionally showing his entire length. most probably will sink, when dead, like most of the Pinnipeds, the He was in sight full fifteen minutes, harpooning of it will probably be more successful. and when last seen, was making the If an individual is killed, take the following measurements: < a best of his way down the St. Lawrence. long list of measurements are specified > On board the schooner were two young Give a description of the animal, especially an accurate one of the men, the vessel's crew, together with head, the fore-flappers and the hind-flappers, and, if possible, make a three passengers, who are all willing to sketch. be qualified to the truth of what has If but barely possible, preserve the whole skeleton, and the whole been here stated. skin, but if this is utterly impracticable, keep the cleaned skull, the bones of one of the fore-flappers and those of one of the hind- flappers, four or five vertebrae of different parts of the backbone, Kingston British Whig neck, and tail; and preserve the skin of the head, and a ribbon of June 15, 1835 about a foot breadth along the whole back of the neck, the trunk, and the tail.

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Amongst Oudeman’s extracts from numerous newspaper and magazine articles from the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s reporting sightings of sea serpents in Europe and North America, is mention of Kingston and : “it was supposed for a time that a sea-serpent existed in Lake Ontario. A coasting navigator, somewhere between Kingston and York, had several times during his trips observed among the islands and rocks something that appeared to be a long animal…”

Illustrated London News 1848

Intrigued by these tales, and reports of other more recent “sightings”, I sought a scientific explanation of what might have been seen. I met with Jim Hoyle, a biologist with the Lake Ontario Management Unit of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at the Glenora Fisheries Station. I asked him if what had been reported in the 1835 British Whig article could have been a big fish or eel. Hoyle conceded that while large fish species such as Muskie and Sturgeon had been known to have grown to somewhat greater size in the past, they would certainly not have reached the dimensions of the “serpent” reported. Achieving ages of over 100 years, Sturgeon can grow to lengths of 2.5 meters, and can be found throughout Ontario, especially in the Great Lakes and their tributary rivers. As sturgeon are Ontario’s largest species of freshwater fish, other contenders for “big fish”, including eels, would be even more unlikely candidates for the creature sighted just beyond the Kingston harbor. The water depth at the location of the sighting and its proximity to the St. Lawrence River was discussed, as well as the time of day and time of year, and none of these factors led us to conclude that the “serpent” could be a fish. Snakes are another obvious candidate, but again, measuring less that 1.5 meters in length the Water Snake found along the shores of Lake Ontario is simply too small to have so alarmed Captain Kellogg’s passengers and crew. With a fish or other creature known to us today an unlikely candidate for the “serpent” sighted that June evening, one might search for other explanations of what might have been seen. Some possibilities might be a sail, perhaps entangled in a spar or mast from some recent shipwreck, or some mass of weeds and other flotsam. In the end, we can continue to speculate but will never know what had been seen by the crew and passengers aboard Captain Kellogg’s ship in the summer of 1835.

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Water – A Way of Life Judy Smith

Water is a tasteless, odorless, colourless compound and without it life would be impossible. We drink it, bathe in it, cook with it and travel upon it. It exists in three states: liquid, a solid called ice, and a gas called water vapour. Water is necessary for living bodies, either plant or animal or human, and is greatly needed for the environment. Our early ancestors traveled to this land of Canada by water on ships. They journeyed up the many waterways of lakes and rivers to settle here in our townships. Living on Big Creek in my early years, water proved to be a way of life. Many of the gristmills, sawmills, tanneries, and cheese factories were built near the waterways for waterpower. People on the creek fished, speared pickerel and caught muskrats. The hunters trapped muskrats and beavers and shot ducks and geese from their hidden duck blinds along the creek. We skated on the creek, swam in the creek and the farmers watered their livestock year-round from the flowing water. Water would be hauled up from the creek if wells or cisterns went dry. They watered their vegetable gardens and flowers from the creek or rain barrels. People still witch or dowse for water today.

Photo Courtesy of Susan Wright Leisure time on the Bay of Quinte in the early 20 th century

Water is big business: bottled water, drinking fountains, purifiers and chemical water systems. Pools and water recreation parks are popular too. When hurricanes or disasters strike, water is flown in to the area as well as water systems that can convert polluted water to clean drinking water. Water is mentioned numerous times in the Bible and religious programs on television are always asking for donations so wells can be dug in the villages of third world countries. In our area we have Lafarge and ESSROC who send their shipments of cement out by large ships on the waterways. One horrendous tragedy happened on the waters of our townships. On the morning of August 29, 1819, ten children drowned on Hay Bay crossing from the north shore of Adolphustown to the Hay Bay Church for the service. Still, today many people enjoy a day spent on the Gananoque Boat Cruise sailing through the , or take vacations on cruise ships and enjoy the water of distant oceans and seas. People have boats of all sizes and types. They pay fishing guides to take them out in the water to the best fishing places. Ferries in our area still make daily crossings to Picton, Amherst and Wolfe Islands on the lake. When the early settlers arrived to this area they could see the beauty of the waterways and it is still here today for us to use and enjoy.

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Bay of Quinte Contender for the America’s Cup Jane Lovell

America successfully defended the America’s Cup against the New Zealand challengers in a nail-biting 19-race challenge in San Francisco this past September. One of sailing’s premier events, the America’s Cup challenge is hard-fought and backed by big money. This year’s race series was undertaken in enormous catamarans with rigid wing main sails and adjustable hydrofoils capable of lifting the craft completely out of the water. Such innovations, and resulting speed, would have astounded mariners of the past, and most certainly the sailors from the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club who, in 1881, challenged the Yacht Club, the then defender of the cup.

The America’s Cup was first contested in 1851 and for the fourth challenge in 1881, the series was set at the best of three races. The Bay of Quinte Yacht Club vessel, the Atlanta , was a centreboard sloop built in Belleville just that summer. It sailed to the defenders club in the New York harbour where it was handily out-sailed by the New York Yacht Club’s ship, the Mischief , also a centreboard sloop.

While the Atlanta failed to win the America’s Cup, it remains the only vessel ever entered in the challenge to be both designed and built by its skipper. Today, the Bay of Quinte Yacht Club’s name can be found engraved on the cup as the 1881 challenger.

Napanee Beaver October 1, 1881

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Clippings: A Sailing Tragedy Jane Lovell

. The death of Lord Adelbert Percy Cecil was an event that made headlines around the world. The tragedy, occurring in Adolphustown and intimately involving the citizens of Adolphustown and Napanee, brought international attention to our own backyard. The following clippings from several foreign sources describe the incident with details that not only graphically illustrate the calamity but also say something of the times in which it occurred.

LORD CECIL DROWNED HE ACCIDENTALLY FELL OUT OF A SAILING BOAT IN TH BAY OF QUINTE, ONT.

KINGSTON, June 13, 1889 – Lord Adelbert Perry Cecil, the evangelist, was drowned on Wednesday afternoon in the Bay of Quinte, near Adolphustown, about six miles east of Picton Ont., while sailing in company with Mr. Churchill from Belleville to Adolphustown with camp supplies. It appears from a dispatch I just received that when off Poole’s Point, a short distance from Adolphustown Wharf, His Lordship rose to adjust the sail, when, losing his hold, he fell headlong into the water. Coming up at some distance he swam around for a few minutes and then sank before the boat could be got around to where he was. As he was supposed to be a good swimmer it was thought he might reach shore safely or at least keep afloat until rescued. Mr. Poole who witnessed the accident from the shore, shouted to him to keep swimming for a few moments and he would be rescued. He shouted back “No!” and sank immediately. His body is now at Parker Allen’s Adolphustown and will probably be shipped to England. His friends in England have been notified. Lord Cecil was a guest of Parker Allen yesterday. Mr. Allen is an old united empire loyalist. His Lordship had spent the winter in the Southern States and came here in the spring. He was not in good health. Se spent much time, talent and wealth in propagating the Plymouth Brethren’s doctrine. He was eloquent, unassuming, devoted and, above all, generous. It was his intention to have returned to England this year. He had been in Canada since 18??, having come here with the First Rifle brigade in 18?? He was converted in Hamilton while on a march and he afterward resigned his commission because the War Office refused to allow him to preach the doctrine he professed to the men of his regiment. He was born on July 18, 1841, and at one time was a lieutenant of the First Rifle brigade. He was a brother of the present Earl and Marquis of Exeter, once known as Lord Burghley. The family seat is Burghley, near Stamford, Northamptonshire. Lord Salisbury belongs to a distantly connected branch of the same family.

The New York Times New York Herald June 14, 1889 June 14, 1889 Page 9 AFHS The Neighbourhood Messenger October 2013

Canadian papers give details of the drowning of Lord Adelbert Cecil. The unfortunate nobleman made a desperate effort to save himself, and in the water divested himself of his coat and vest. A gold watch and a pocket-book filled with money were thrown away with these articles of apparel. When the catastrophe occurred Lord Adelbert Cecil was steering the boat loaded with camp supplies to Adolfus town, where he had arranged for a series of Gospel Meetings. The craft was within 300 yards of the proposed camping ground when Lord Adelbert Cecil got up to lower a sail and fell into the water. After swimming behind the boat some distance till his companion managed to get it about and headed for the shore, his Lordship struck out for land. When within fifty feet of shore he was seized with a cramp and sank to rise no more. He was encumbered with heavy boots, which he could not take off. There were a number of eye witnesses who had several boats at hand, but no one put off to save him, the people being confident he would safely reach land. Lord Adelbert Cecil was well known in Canada as an evangelist and he spent his time, wealth, and talents in propagating the Plymouth Brethren doctrines. He was eloquent, unassuming, and generous. He had been in Canada since 1869, and became converted while on a march out with the First Rifle Brigade at Quebec. He resigned, it was stated, because the War Office refused to allow him to preach the doctrine he professed to the men of his regiment. His followers were overwhelmed with grief. Hawks Bay Herald, NZ October 5, 1889

In what year Lord Adelbert Percy Cecil first arrived in Canada is unclear. The dates given in the New York Herald article cannot be deciphered. However, Lord Cecil was an avid cricketer and played for his military unit while in Canada. CricketArchive.com, a cricket statistics database, has Cecil playing in several games in Toronto and Hamilton in the summer of 1863: the Canada East versus Canada West, Military versus All-Comers, and Military versus Civilians matches. By 1865 Cecil was back in Britain participating on civilian teams in the Southampton Union versus All England Eleven matches. One might conclude that Cecil retired from the military over his beliefs and returned to England to pursue his sporting interests. The article printed in the Hawks Bay Herald three and a half months after Cecil's death states that Cecil arrived in Canada in 1869. While not implicitly stated, the article seems to indicate that Cecil was still in the military at that time and resigned soon after.

That Lord Cecil was committed to his evangelical work is indisputable. He penned several religious books as well as hymns and articles, and gave speeches as religious conferences. However it was Lord Cecil’s preaching that had the greatest influence locally. Henry Pickering’s 1918 work Chief Men Among the Brethren recounts the events leading up to the fateful day off the shore of Adolphustown. Pickering states: “On Tuesday 11 th June 1889 he took a boat at Belleville and sailed to a place where there were a number of Indian believers in whom he was interested.” It appears that local First Nation people were a target group for his preaching. The following clipping from The Toronto Daily Mail reports that a representative from the “Indian Department” in Ottawa attended his funeral, perhaps indicating a federal sanctioning of Cecil’s activities. Certainly Cecil acquired many high profile citizens in the area as members of the Plymoth Brethren.

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KINGSTON NEWS. INTERNMENT OF LORD CECIL AT Parker Allen, Esq. NAPANEE CEMETERY. Mr. Allen became a warm - friend of the late Lord Cecil At the Request of His English Friends – years ago and became an Simple Ceremonies in Accordance with active member of "the the Ideas of the Brethren Brethren". His house was -- Lord Cecil's home for some From Our Own Correspondent. years. It was while going KINSTON, June 17, -- After the recovery of the body of there, and in full sight of his Lord Cecil, it was placed in a heavy oak casket lined with home, that Lord Cecil was metal and taken to the residence of Mr. Alexander Smith, drowned a few years ago. A manage of the Merchants’ Bank, Napanee, a warm personal pathetic incident was that the friend of the deceased for years. Meantime a cablegram was dead man's coat, vest and sent to his friends in England, announcing the death and watch floated ashore on his inquiring what disposal they desired should be made of the grounds before even the dead remains. An answer was received requesting that a photograph body could be reclaimed from be taken and forwarded to them at once, in order, it is the water. supposed, that they might satisfy themselves there was no mistake. This request was at once complied with, and Mr. The Napanee Beaver Richardson, Napanee, was successful in obtaining a good January 22, 1897 likeness which has been mailed. Notices were issued announcing that the funereal would take place from Mr. Smith’s residence on Saturday noon, and thence to Napanee cemetery vault. At the appointed time a large number The “Napanee Cemetery” referred to assembled to pay the last tribute of respect to the memory of a in The Toronto Daily Mail clipping is the gentleman held in high esteem for many years past for is Riverside Cemetery. Lord Cecil’s singularly devoted Christian life and his kindly charitable acts remains were not disinterred and to all to whom he could do good. There was a large procession repatriated to England, but remained of carriages of the leading residents of the town, as well as a in Napanee. The stone marking the number from long distances around. The Brethren, of which grave is engraved as follows: he was such a distinguished and devoted member, felt most keenly their irreparable loss. Representatives of that fraternity were present from Montreal, Ottawa, Picton, Belleville, and Adolphustown. Among these may be mentioned Mr. Van Koughnet, Indian Department, Ottawa, and his wife; Mr. Sacred to the Memory of McKinnon, Ottawa; Messrs. Critherford and Aird, Montreal; Lord Adelbert Percy Cecil Mrs. Bakus, Mr. White, and others, Picton, and Mr. Heignhoe, Belleville, Revs A.B. Chambers, E.E. Howard, J.H. Peake, and Late Rifle Brigade J. Shorts were also among those present. Religious services Youngest Son of the were conducted at the house by the Brethren after their own Second Marquis of Exeter method. Hymns were sung, Scripture portions were read, and Born July 18th, 1841 very impressive addresses were given by Mr. Alexander Smith, Died June 12th, 1889 Napanee, and Mr. Heignhoe, Belleville, both of whom had for years been associates in Christian work. Before the body was deposited in the vault a second cablegram was received from 'Lord Jesus Retrieve My Spirit' England requesting that the body be interred. There was a short consultation among the friends, and it was resolved to return again at four o’clock for the burial, which was done. It is understood that it has been so arranged that should the request yet come for the remains to be sent to England they can be disinterred and forwarded.

The Toronto Daily Mail June 18, 1889 Page 11 AFHS The Neighbourhood Messenger October 2013

The Loyalist Parkway: History Revealed

In Ted Davie’s article “The Loyalist Parkway, your route through history”, appearing in the June 2013 issue of The Neighbourhood Messenger , we were challenged to discover the history of our area as presented by the many historic plaques that line the Loyalist Parkway. Here are the answers to Ted’s quiz:

The Loyalist Landing Place (Adolphustown Park). On what date did the Loyalists land in Adolphustown, where did they land and who was their leader? Answer : On June 16, 1784, 250 Loyalists ended their long journey from New York under the guidance of Major Van Alstine and came ashore here. Loyalist Memorial Church (Adolphustown). There are two Loyalist Memorial Churches in Adolphoustown but only one has a blue plaque. Name the two churches. When was the one on the Parkway built and who is regarded as the ‘builder’? Answer : The first Anglicans of Adolphustown were Loyalists. In 1822 they built St. Paul's Church on this site. In 1884 the present stone St. Alban's Church was built as a memorial to the early Loyalists. St. Alban's was built by the Rev. Richard Sykes Forneri. Quakers of Adolphustown (Hay Bay). Who were the Quakers? Answer : Check out the Wikipedia entry! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quakers Sir John A. Macdonald Family Home (Hay Bay). Where was this home? Answer : Sir John A. Macdonald’s father Hugh Macdonald had a home on the south shore of Hay Bay near the Old Hay Bay Church. Old Hay Bay Church (Hay Bay). What year was this Methodist Church built? Is it still used? Answer : Upper Canada's first Methodist Chapel was built in 1792. It is still used for annual services by the United Church of Canada. Hazelton Spencer (on the Parkway west of Conway). Who was Spencer and why is he a local historic person? Answer : A Loyalist from Rhode Island, Spencer was the first Representative from this region elected to Provincial Parliament in 1792. Rev. Robert Macdowall (cemetery on north side near Sandhurst). Who was Macdowall and why is he recognized? Answer : Macdowall was ordained by the Dutch Reformed Church at Albany and was sent in 1798 to minister to Presbyterians in the Quinte area. His work laid the foundation for the development of Presbyterianism in Ontario. Lieut. Col. James Rogers (church on the south side of Parkway near Sandhurst) Who was Rogers? Answer : Rogers commanded the 2nd battalion of King's Rangers and led a party of about 300 to settle in Fredericksburgh in 1784. Escape of the Royal George (on the Parkway at County Rd. 8). What was the Royal George and when and why was it ‘escaping’? Answer : The British Corvette Royal George was attacked here by seven American ships in 1812. She escaped to find safety in Kingston Harbour where the guns of the shore batteries along with her own (22) drove the enemy off. Finkle's Tavern (Bath, west end). Why is this Tavern recognized and when was it built? What was the first steamship built here and when? Answers : Henry Finkle built the first tavern between Kingston and York (Toronto) here in 1786. He also built a brewery and a school. Asa Danforth used the tavern as a headquarters while building the eastern sector of the Danforth Road in 1798. This was the first public road in Ontario. The Frontenac was built at Finkle’s Point in 1816.

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The Hawley House (Bath). When was this built and what well-known clergy lived here? Answer : Jeptha Hawley, a Loyalist from Vermont, built this house about 1785. The stone portion was added in 1787 to house the Rev. John Langhorn, the district's first Anglican clergyman. Rev. John Langhorn (north of the Parkway at St. John's Church, Bath). Who was this man, what religion was he and what is he best known for? Answer : Appointed missionary to the area in 1787, he became the first Anglican clergyman in the Bay of Quinte region. Although an eccentric he was instrumental in the building of 3 churches nearby. The Founding of Bath (Bath Park). What was the village’s first name and when did it change to Bath? Answer : Soldiers from Jessup's Rangers settled around Ernest Town in 1784. In 1818 the town was renamed Bath. Lt. Col. Edwin Albert Baker (at Beulah Church). Who was Baker and what did he do? Answer : Born nearby, Baker was blinded in the war of 1914-18. On his return in 1918 he was instrumental in the formation of The Canadian Nation Institute for the Blind where he served for 44 years. He was elected the first President of the World Council for the Welfare of the Blind in 1951. Madelaine de Roydon D'Allonne (at the Collins Bay parkette). Who was Madelaine and why is she recognized? Answer : She was a noblewoman from France and became the first female landowner in Ontario when she was granted the seigneury west of Collins Bay by La Salle. She built a house, grew crops and traded with the Indians until attacked and taken prisoner by Iroquois in 1678. A year later she was released and retired to Montreal until her death in 1718. Fairfield House (Amherstview). Who was Fairfield? Answer : Loyalist William Fairfield settled here in 1784 and built this house about 1793. The Loyalist Parkway Eastern Gates (Amherstview). Who ‘opened’ the gates, when and why was the Parkway given its present name? Answer : The Parkway was opened by Queen Elizabeth on September 27, 1984. The name Loyalist Parkway recalls those Loyalists of diverse backgrounds and races who, during the American Revolution, held in common a proud allegiance to His Majesty King George III.

Napanee Beaver December 30, 1882

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Help Us Identify This:

Members of the United Church Women's Association from Sillsville, Parma and Adolphustown assembled on the lawn of Albert and Gertie Chalmers’ farm in Parma for this photograph, likely taken between 1925 and 1930. The woman in the second row, second from the right is “Gramma Merritt”, Ada Merritt, and in front of and to right of Ada is “Gramma Davis”, likely Annie Elizabeth Allison-Davis. Do you recognise anyone else in the photograph?

Photo Courtesy of Jean Norry

Feedback from June’s Help Us Identify This:

This photo generated a good deal of interest and much speculation, but no identification could be made.

Do you have an old photo for which you cannot identify the people, the place, or the occasion? Let us scan it and we can feature in an up coming issue of The Neighbourhood Messenger . One of our readers might know something that you don’t!

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From the Book Shelf

We are very excited to announce the release of the latest Society publication. The first copies of Voices will be available at the book’s launch at our annual Heritage Harvest Dinner on October 30. As with all our publications, Voices will also be available or at the Conway Store or through our website (http://www.sfredheritage.on.ca/Books.htm ). Voices Stories from Adolphustown and Fredericksburgh

Voices is a collection of snapshots in time, where each page is a complete story, capturing some aspect of life in our community for a specific year over the decades since the area was first settled. The volume is packed with vintage photographs, sketches and documents, illustrating 150 stories and articles submitted by 29 contributors.

And Furthermore…

The June issue of the Neighbourhood Messenger featured an article by Robert Morris on fishing eels. Lyle Smith had a number of tales to tell about fishing eels in Hay Bay. His first encounter with an eel occurred when he was six or seven years old out fishing in a rowboat with his brother. What Lyle hooked on his line that day both shocked and repelled him. The metre-long eel was like nothing he had ever encountered before, but over the next few years the family caught quite a few. Lyle remembers the flesh of the eel being reddish, like salmon, and good to eat. The eel was either slit along the belly and the skin removed, or the skin was peeled back whole and placed on a fork handle to dry for a couple of days. The skin was very strong and was slit to make boot laces or, in one case, was used to stitch or lace together the drive belt used on the separator on the thrashing machine. Lyle’s father and brother attributed Lyle’s initial catch to having his fishing line too long, thereby causing it to drag along the bottom and attract the bottom-feeding eels. Lyle recalls Jimmy King using the long-line technique when he ran eel lines in Hay Bay. Jimmy baited the hooks with shad from the high shore and sold the eels for eating to people in the area. The Napanee Beaver July 5, 1915

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And More than Furthermore: 'Howell's Windmill' Revisited Thomas Sylvester

Note from the editor : An article on the History of Howell’s Windmill appeared in the June 2012 edition of the Neighbourhood Messenger . Our Society erected a commemorative plaque at the site of the windmill in July of 2012.

Sometimes the truth is buried beneath subsequent oral history and/or lost due to misplaced attribution. Further, our misinterpretation could be because we lost the context, the origins and intent of the original descriptive name. The celebrated, stone tower of Fredericksburgh, built circa 1785 was one of the above. It has been called 'Howell's windmill' which is confusing, confused. After an embarrassing amount of research I have reinterpreted the story and prefer to call the stone building a tower, or perhaps the Fredericksburgh Tower. It never was a windmill, nor did John Howell ever own it. The tower is gone, but numerous primary sources spread throughout archive shelves and even web servers hint at a seductive story. The tower origins starts in 1775 when the Revolting Colonies (I love that term) lay siege to Quebec and its importance lasted until 1815. Initially the Tower of London played a part as well as the British victory at Fort Ticonderoga on July 5, 1777. The rest of the campaign did not go well. The revolted colonies had vanquished the greatest power on earth, but this is not news to readers. We all celebrate the Loyalists arrival on the Bay of Quinte during the summer of 1784. I have concluded that the tower was conceived before the Loyalist officers' preferential drawing of the front lots of Fredericksburgh, July 1784. I suspect the construction was a joint public/private initiative: it was built by James Russell, to be continued ...

Our James Russell landed at Quebec by June 1, 1776, then vanishes into the vapours until July 1784 at Cataraqui. I have exerted myself to find his whereabouts in the following primary sources: the War Office 28, Haldimand Papers, C Series, UC War of 1812 Losses Claims, UCLP. I would gratefully appreciate any suggestions (613) 389-1320 or [email protected]

The photo above is of Nine Mile Point Light House, Simcoe Island. I happened to be hiking the shore and thought that the Fredericksburgh Tower likely resembled it (if one squinted, excluding the white- wash and Lighthouse superstructure).

The Napanee Beaver July 30, 1920

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AFHS News Kathy Staples

In the summer of 1994 the Trustees of Old Hay Bay Church hired Heritage Quest Inc. to prepare a five- day archaeological assessment of the cemetery. In preparation for this, a geophysical survey had been conducted in 1993, followed by some field-testing. The purpose of this assessment was to determine the location of interments both within the existing fenced portion and to the south and east of it. Many questions had been asked concerning these old burials especially the location of the mass burial of the drowning of 1819. The results suggested that there could be a minimum of 141 interments within the fenced portion of the cemetery. If used to capacity, the potential number of individual interments could be as high as 300 or more over a period of approximately 50-68 years. No engraved burial markers were found and only portions of the cemetery were analyzed. So many questions continued over the years.

Photo and plan of the excavation of site 1A/1E/1F from the 1994 Archaeological Assessment of the Old Hay Bay Church Cemetery

On Saturday, September 7, 2013 on a gray overcast day a group of curious, historical dowsers, aged 10+, removed flags, orange spray paint and dowsing rods from their vehicles. It was a daunting job even using the map sketch from the previous assessment. The group centred around the wooden posts near where it is suspected the mass grave of the drowning victims is located. The weather did not co-operate and at times umbrellas had to be used. The dowsers went out into the field on the east and south side of the cemetery and found many graves. Page 17 AFHS The Neighbourhood Messenger October 2013

As lunch time approached it was mentioned that a story from an old-time resident told of there being two burials at the north- east end of the church. So the dowsers headed for the picnic tables via that route and easily found the two sites…… as well as many more. One of the dowsers went into the church and found more burials under the 1835 addition of the church. These lined up with the ones which had already been discovered outside. A pathway to the water was also found. It was also discovered that the burials close to the church were in a north-south orientation and it was not until the dowsers proceeded away from the church that there were several rows in an east-west position the practice of which is still followed today. Many ministers cannot explain this or even give a date or reason for today’s practice.

Novice and Master Dowsers Susan McIsaac and Susan Wright

This finding of interments around the church has startled and intrigued the Trustees of Old Hay Bay Church. Have questions been answered…. no. Have more questions been raised…. oh, yes. Will more searching be done in the spring…….we hope so.

John Gordon and the “Doubting Thomas”, Tom Talbot

Orange spray paint outlines graves detected in the suspected location of the mass grave for the 1819 drowning victims.

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A Curious Thing Angela Cronk

When I first saw this at a garage sale, I had to ask what it was! As soon as I heard that it was a string holder commonly used to wrap fresh cut meat in paper wrap in butcher shops ‘way back when’, it took me back to a place that I had not thought about for many years. When I was in public school, there was a butcher/grocery store between my home and school. Many of the children stopped in to purchase candy, Double Bubble, sponge toffee or Cracker Jacks when we had allowance left to spend! This same type of string holder was high on the wall behind the butcher wearing his blood stained apron. One of his fingers was missing (assumedly because of June’s Curious Thing his trade??) as he handed us a paper bag to carry our treats home. Now that I think of it, we were quite frightened of the butcher but not enough to give up the treats! I just had to buy it since it retrieved a long lost memory from my childhood.

What is this?

Submitted by Kathy Staples This object is approximately 4 & 1/2" in length and 2" in diameter.

Please contact [email protected] if you recognize the item. Tell us what it is called, what it is used for, during what era it was used, and anything else you can tell us about it. Do you have some weird thing hanging around your home or barn? Take a photo of it and send it in – we can feature it here in a future issue.

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From the Attic

We are looking for old photos and documents from Adolphustown, North and South Fredericksburgh. Just about any old photograph would be of interest: photos of people, homes, farms, schools, churches, or community or family events. Even if you do not know the people or places in the photos, maybe someone else in the community does. Old publications relating to township businesses, schools and churches often contain fascinating details of life in their era.

Some items we are currently looking for:

OLD PHOTOS or Real Photo POSTCARDS: • The Adolphustown Town Hall • The South Fredericksburgh Town Hall at Sillsville • The U.E.L. Cheese Factory, Adolphustown • St. Paul's Church, Main Street Adolphustown • The Old Store at Adolphustown • The Old Hotel at Adolphustown • Conway Store • Conway Wharf • Phippen Cheese Factory • Fredericksburgh Train Station • McDowall Presbyterian Church • Camp Le Nid • Glen Island Other Correspondence: • Letters or postcards bearing postmarks from local towns and villages • Letters from political figures such as Sir W. Laurier, Diefenbaker, etc. • Correspondence from someone serving overseas during either WWI or WWII BOOKLET: • Constitution and Roll of Officers and Members of Camp Le Nid, 1902

If you are looking for any specific photos or documents, let us know and we will add it to our “Attic” list. Newly added items will be highlighted in blue!

Contribute to The Neighbourhood Messenger

We publish The Neighbourhood Messenger 3 times a year: in January, May, and October. If you have an old photograph or newspaper clipping to share, a story to tell, or an event to publicize, let us know. Submissions for the January issue can be sent to [email protected] anytime before mid-January 2014. Contributors to this issue: Angela Cronk Jane Lovell Judy Smith Kathy Staples Thomas Sylvester Susan Wright All uncredited photographs supplied by Jane Lovell

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